In order to improve your mobile arsenal and possibly setup a place to call home of your own you'll need to harvest the resources necessary to do so. There are three main resources in Lost Universe and will take the place of currency, because out here electricity and solid metal mean more for survival than a petty number on a bank's computer screen. You will need to locate, harvest, and store these resources effectively in order to use them and I shouldn't have to tell you that's what your newly-acquired excavation barge is for. Below are the three types of gold you'll be handling extensively throughout your career and some additional goods you may fancy as a seasoned entrepreneur or warlord.

Low-Grade Resources

Ore

Crude ore is the lifeblood of surviving wanderers and enormous alliances alike, and is sought in massive quantities everywhere in the universe. This commodity can be found sporadically in the many large, dense asteroid fields that litter space all around you but are still often up to a day's voyage away. Such ore is mined by TO Excavation Class ships and certain industrial infrastructure, but deposits are often more than capable of bearing the load of heavy industrial efforts and will not diminish in yield quickly. Securing a sizable deposit for your own use can be one of the most strategic endeavours there is but can prove to be a massive undertaking due to the sheer size and global demand for such resources. Avid explorers may even encounter rare types of ore that will greatly improve their mining efficiency and give them and their alliance an industrial edge over all others.

Silicon

Processed silicon is a material required in almost every aspect of ship and infrastructure construction and more specifically the manufacture of sophisticated computer and powerplant components, as well as weapons and shield systems themselves. While silicon can be harvested as easily as ore with the TO Excavation Class and certain stationary mines, this pricey resource is much harder to come by than its bland, abundant counterpart. Silicon deposits can be found among the largest of asteroid belts but are often secluded and in much smaller supply -- so much so that they can be difficult to trace on long-range scanners making the task of locating a workable deposit a chore in its own right.

Energy Cells

Energy is the largest global commodity in the universe and is essential in almost every aspect of mechanical operation. While ships and stations draw their running power from large reactors and solar extensions, sometimes an instant, massive surge of energy is necessary to activate certain equipment such as ECM, gravity manipulators, stealth devices, and superweapons. Additionally, the upkeep of shipyards and factories in production requires a stable power supply that far exceeds the output of local generators and large quantities of these expendable cells may be in high demand. Energy itself is collected by solar power plants and the TE Energy Harvester Class anywhere in space at any time, but a considerable investment is required to begin doing so.

High-Grade Resources

Nividium

Nividium is a pricey mineral that is found in some of Andromeda's outer asteroid deposits and entrenched deep within many of its molten planets. Its superconductive properties, once smelted, have earned it much respect in the engineering industry, and the capital ships of today rely on such capacities to traverse vast distances in space via warp drive. It is also widely known that Paranid particle beam weapon technology relies heavily on nividium, which has greatly contributed to its popularity and dispute everywhere in contested space. Despite its apparent abundance on Andromeda's market, nividium is among the most coveted resources available and continues to fuel all venues of commerce and conflict throughout the Lost Universe.

Teladianium

Teladian mud is a very fine silty-type of sediment found at the bottom of rivers and swamps on most temperate planets and can also be sourced in trace quantities on certain barren worlds. This mud, when thoroughly dried, becomes a hard mineral known to those in the trade as teladianium. This mineral is typically combined with certain chemicals and processed in a foundry to create a tough yet flexible material stronger than hardened steel but many times lighter. This teladianium alloy is an invaluable commodity in the capital shipbuilding and heavy construction industry, for it greatly accelerates the process in which large objects may be assembled and repaired.

Industrial Resources

Warp Cores

Warp cores are large spatial compression discs based on the SETA technology and used in superluminal spaceflight. Produced in heavy industry factories, this high-tech device is meticulously crafted from the coveted nividium ore harvested on molten planets and in some deep space deposits, but may be synthesized from energy cells and silicon where this resource is not available.

Freight Size100

Necessary Resources5,000 nividium

Necessary Resources (Synthesis)1,000 silicon9,000 energy cells

Teladianium Alloy

Among the most resilient and undoubtedly most abundant high-grade construction material in known Andromeda, teladianium alloy is forged in a heavy industry factory from the refined teladianium mineral, as found on most temperate and barren worlds, and is a staple in large-scale construction due to its incredibly durable molecular structure. While this material may accelerate the process in which ships and infrastructure undergo construction and reparations, its sheer size and mass after thorough smelting greatly restricts its portability and practicality in sub-capital spacecraft.